The situation with the Austrian view on Croatia is changing rapidly as the coronavirus pandemic rears its ugly head yet again in Croatia following an extremely poorly thought out tennis event in the popular Dalmatian city of Zadar.

From not wanting their citizens to travel freely to Croatia to seeing Austrian citizens replace their traditional favourite of Italy as a tourist destination with Croatia, to the Austrian media now claiming it is "dangerous" to holiday in Croatia - it's difficult to try to follow. Another issue is now the apparent question of the Slovene authorities on the potential closing of the Slovenian-Croatian border.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, under the headline "Croatia - Vacation in Danger - Slovenia Considers Closing Border with Croatia" and subtitled "Rising Coronavirus Infections Concern Government", the Austrian dailies Kleine Zeitung and Kurier, as well as some others, quoted Slovenian Health Minister Tomaz Gantar as saying on Wednesday: "As soon as the number of infections in Slovenia increases and it is determined that they were introduced from Croatia or the daily number of newly infected rises to a higher level, that country will be declared a red zone and quarantine will be introduced for all those coming from Croatia."

They add that the Slovenian minister has made sure to warn his fellow Slovenian citizens who are now travelling to Croatia that it could happen that they have to be quarantined upon their return home to Slovenia: "Given that Croatia is in a dangerous area, that danger is real."

Austrian media have also written that "the dream of a vacation on the Croatian Adriatic could be short-lived", because Slovenia is considering closing its borders to that neighbouring country, after "several imported cases of the new coronavirus infection" appeared in Croatia, reports Vecernji list.

To further point out the seriousness of the coronavirus-induced situation, the Austrian media say that during a bilateral visit by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg to Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital on Monday, his Slovenian counterpart Anze Logar showed "determination to promptly tighten the border regime if necessary".

For more on coronavirus, follow our dedicated section.

June 23, 2020 - Novak Djokovic has tested positive for the coronavirus after being tested in Belgrade. As confirmed in a statement from his team, both he and his wife are positive while the children received a negative result. They add that they have no symptoms.

Index.hr reports that after the coronavirus outbreak on the Adria Tour in Zadar on Sunday, the world's best tennis player immediately went to Serbia, where he was tested with his family.

A statement from Djokovic on his website:

“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.

Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation.

It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this.

We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met.

Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.

I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were.

I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.

I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.”

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was in contact with Djokovic at the tournament in Zadar. He was tested yesterday and was negative.

Recall, the tennis spectacle in Zadar was interrupted after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus.

Last night, 22 people were tested, including tennis players, and it was determined that three more people were positive, including Croatian tennis player Borna Coric.

Along with Coric, Marko Panichi, Novak Djokovic's fitness coach, and Christian Groh, Grigor Dimitrov's coach, are also positive. Among the tennis players who were tested was Marin Cilic, who received a negative result, but will still go into self-isolation for 14 days.

Borna Coric and the two infected coaches remain in Zadar under strictly controlled conditions prescribed by epidemiologists and will follow all instructions, the Croatian Tennis Federation reported. Other participants and players will travel home and will be in constant contact with the epidemiological services of their home countries. 

Residents of Zadar County who suspect infection were called by the Zadar headquarters to contact the epidemiologist on duty at 098 332 765 and their doctor.

More soon...

To read more news in Croatia, follow TCN's. dedicated page.

June the 23rd, 2020 - In as much as the world is fed up with coronavirus, in a case like this one here, we cannot but feel grateful: we met this man quite a few years back and it took a global pandemic for us to find out his real name!

Zagreb is a well reputed stage of arts, all sorts, music included. To the connoisseurs, it is an attractive destination also for its clubs with jazz, blues, jam sessions - in case you're the type who is into that kind of thing.

Back then, the legendary BP Club in the heart of Zagreb was an inevitable destination to go to ''after hours''. Led by the world acclaimed jazz xylophonist Bosko Petrovic, it saw many, many big names jamming out on its small stage in an old Zagreb cellar. Underground, but world famous, to say the least.

Among the uncountable musicians that took the stage, the BP had its permanent band. Among its members was that guy we knew as Tony Lee King, a Croat of a most interesting biography and a blues guitarist and singer
par excellence. And then, quite recently and owing to coronavirus, we met by chance again. We found out that Tony Lee King and Antonio Culina are one and the same person.

When the coronavirus began ruling over the world this March, with lockdowns and isolation and social distancing, it was not easy to find a disinfectant in the few places which had remained operational but were running short of supplies. A good friend offered help and provided a big bottle of a disinfectant called Genox.

Unlearned and ignorant, and equally curious, we carefully read its composition, origin and all the things declared on the bottle, as one would. When thanking our friend for the supply, it turned out that behind what probably is the best sanitiser around, there are unusual links to music, jamming, jazz and blues, the BP club and the good times gone by! Actually, to Tony Lee King a.k.a. Antonio Culina (or viceversa).

In brief, after quite a picturesque childhood and adolescence mainly spent in France, after uncountable street and club gigs all over Europe and in the USA, Antonio (Tony) settled back in Zagreb, continued his music career, made his own band and a brand, and he met Marijana (Cisko), an engineer of molecular biology. They started dating and moved in together.

The small pharmaceutical manufacturer Marijana worked for went bankrupt, and she wanted a business of her own.

Through many hardships, mainly related to money, and not without some luck there, however, they joined hands and started a small production of sanitisers.

Tony needed his gigs to survive and to support the family and in reality turned into a blues guitarist with a band in the evening and a businessman in the daytime.

''I don't know what I needed more in those days, sleep or money’, says Tony candidly.

Marjana, however, proved to be an expert in her field and decided on making a sanitiser not based on alcohol, contrary to the general public belief that only alcohol can kill all of those invisible little enemies. She named it Genox, as it is based on oxygen, actually on a thirteen-step process based on activated ionised water, a process she developed herself over several years. It took many presentations, telephone calls and all other sorts of communication in order to gain some satisfactory market interest for it.

The prejudice about its lack of alcohol was a major obstacle and cast a shadow of doubt over its exceptional composition and effects. If you want to know, Genox is a clean ecological product, not inflammable, not poisonous, not harmful to kids and pets. It kills all kinds of micro-organisms, germs, viruses and bacteria, to fungus, algae, spores and mildew. It even works to make sure your skin doesn't feel dry or dehydrated following its use.

When, at the outbreak of the pandemic, the supply of industrial alcohol fell short, Genox got its ''five minutes of glory''. The demand sky-rocketed over night, more hands and a larger production equipment were needed. Genox got orders from the National Civil Protection Headquarters, from many hospitals and medical facilities, from fire brigades to institutions.

Marijana and Tony, based in Velika Gorica near Zagreb, are planning to boost both their facilities and the output by founding a factory of considerable proportions in Pleternica in Slavonia, an Eastern region of Croatia that desperately needs new initiatives, employment and new jobs.

Tony will of course continue his night life as Tony Lee King offering a good time and relaxation with his exceptional music and talent, while Genox is breaking the Croatian borders as yet another pride of Croatian know-how and
entrepreneurship.

For more on Croatian innovation during the coronavirus era, follow Made in Croatia.

June 23, 2020 - A press conference was held at noon in Osijek, where the Headquarters revealed the new details about the coronavirus outbreak at a Djakovo monastery. 

Index.hr reports that the Osijek-Baranja County Headquarters has been reporting new cases for several days now, and today it became known that as many as 10 nuns were infected at a Dakovo monastery.

There are 23 new patients, and 12 new cases since last night, with potentially two hotspots.

"Six patients have been hospitalized. They are not life-threatening. We are ready and available," the doctor said.

"So far, we have registered a total of 156 positive patients since the beginning of the epidemic. You don't have to worry, everything that happened is under the strict supervision of the Public Health Institute. All contacts are under our measures. It is important that we adhere to all measures," said the Osijek epidemiologist Kozul.

"We have a certain breakthrough, but it is crucial that we have people who will do everything; there is no panic, and we detected everything in time. We closed our institutions for the elderly, KBC and hospital in Našice. The situation is epidemiologically much better than a few months ago. The old and infirm must be cared for more thoroughly than the younger population. But the message is that there is no panic and that the matter is under control. There is no reason for large restrictive measures, but it is very important that we must act responsibly. Keep a social distance, and those who have crossed the border need to report it and go into self-isolation. Certain infected people were across the border in BiH, Kosovo and Serbia," Anusic revealed. 

"We assume that the source of the infection is the nuns from Kosovo. The sisters returned from Kosovo 2-3 days ago," Kozul said, adding that it was good that everything was controlled in one facility. "All the nuns will be processed. Today we are waiting for new results. We will also process their contacts," he announced.

More soon...

To read more news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

Update (July 11, 2020): While all of these were true when this article was written, a major change took place on July 10, when the new rules for entering Croatia were introduced. Please follow the article about those changes to get the latest information, as it becomes available. 

June 23, 2020 - Can Americans visit Croatia now? Yes and no - a journey through the minefield. 

A new article with updated information and experiences published on July 2, 2020. 

One of the most common questions on the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, which has been visited 100,000 times in its first month, is about Americans visiting Croatia for a holiday during the corona crisis. Is it possible, and if yes, what is the procedure?

This will be a hard article to write and get 100% accurate, as official information is hard to find. There are also, it appears, cases of Americans who have managed to come when the rules would seemingly prevent their entrance. This update has been compiled from official information, feedback from the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, and the media. It is meant for informational purposes and comes with a disclaimer that you should not rely 100% on the information and get confirmation from official sources.

Let's begin.

If you are an American and currently inside the EU/EEA (27 EU countries, UK, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway), you are free to enter Croatia with a business invitation, proof of paid accommodation or the other reasons stated on the infographic below.

If you are an American with Croatian papers, you are free to fly from the USA to Croatia with no problem.

What does 'Croatian papers' mean? For 100% guarantee, a Croatian passport. Much less certain, but at least one case has worked, is to enter with your Domovnica. Once you get to the Croatian border, you will have no problem. Getting on the flight is the hardest part. If the airline is convinced that the Domovnica is good enough ID to establish your Croatian credentials, then you may enter. In order to give yourself the best chance of success with this route, ask your  local embassy to confirm your Croatianness in an official letter in English.  Please note, this is NOT a guarantee it will work, but it has on at least one occasion. 

For all other Americans wanting to come from the USA (or Canadians from Canada), the external EU borders are closed until further notice. In a TCN interview with Croatian Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, the last official information was that the EU was targeting July 1 as the date to open external borders, BUT only for countries with a good epidemiological record.

Having said that, I have heard of anecdotal cases of Americans who have managed to come for business. I don't have details, but such cases do exist but are relatively rare in my opinion.

Please note that proof of paid accommodation and/or a flight ticket do NOT guarantee you entrance to the EU or Croatia, and there have been many cases of tourists being refused boarding at US airports. To give one really clear example, an American boyfriend of a UK national with a paid villa in Croatia for 2 months and a 45-day yacht rental fully paid was not allowed to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt and Zagreb from Los Angeles. If he had been immediate family (with a cohabitation document), he would have been allowed on board.

It seems that certain airlines are stricter than others with the rules (feedback from our Viber community), with Lufthansa the strictest. Some are reporting easier procedures with Swiss Air to Zurich, which is outside the EU but inside Schengen.

If you contact the Croatian border police, it is likely that they will say Americans can enter with paid accommodation, which is true. Their job is to deal with people crossing the borders, and if Americans can get to the border, they can enter. It is NOT their job to determine if Americans can cross external EU borders.

When flying either to the EU or within the EU to Croatia, I would advise that you bring with you the following things:

1. Proof of paid accommodation
2. A print out of the confirmation from entercroatia.mup.hr 
3. A copy of the latest IATA rules for flying to Croatia 

This last one is important as there is such confusion at the moment that the Viber community has reported that some people have been denied boarding because airline check-in staff do not fully understand the rules for entering Croatia. If you have the IATA regulations to show them, it can only help.

The US Embassy in Zagreb is also a resource https://hr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/

We are working hard to make the situation as clear as possible. If you have any useful information to add to this, or a recent live experience, please post in our Viber community – you can join here (you will need to download the app) or contacts us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject US Entry. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has raised its ugly head here in Croatia once again after a couple of weeks of relative peace, is seeing even some of Croatian tourism's most faithful guests cancel their reservations as the lie about Croatia being a ''coronavirus free'' country is exposed for what it is.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, athough holiday homes are currently one of the most sought-after types of accommodation, private renters are facing a very difficult peak season that will be affected by the latest developments with the coronavirus epidemic. But even without that, reservations are sinking.

''We have loyal guests and people who really wanted to come and kept their reservations until the very last minute, however, as the situation isn't improving, as we approach July and August and the dates of their arrival, they have started to cancel them. We all hoped that with these reservations and last minute bookings, we'd reach those 40 percent of last year's figures, but now it's slowly starting to be questionable,'' Martina Nimac Kalcina, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce's Family Accommodation Association, told Novi list.

Thus, for example, as she states, there is an example that the Slovenes, who are the closest to Croatia geographically and who booked their holidays even during the height of the coronavirus epidemic, are now cancelling their reservations. The southern counties, such as Dubrovnik-Neretva County, are especially dependent on airlines, unlike Kvarner and Istria, which can easily be reached by car.

''Everyone hoped that it would be better, but since it isn't, it's important to do someething with what we have left for July and August. But it should also be noted that guests who still do have reservations really want to come. It's just that their arrival will depend on the situation at the border, quarantines and the airlines,'' concluded the president of the Family Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Family accommodation expert Nedo Pinezic sought to make the reminder clear that it is difficult for the Croatian tourism sector as a whole to try to be smart in this situation, given that the booking situation changes from day to day, and it is mostly influenced by the epidemiological situation in Croatia and the increase in the number of patients infected with the new coronavirus.

This coincides with the announcement of the German Robert Koch Institute where they said that all travelers from Germany who travel to regions that have more than 50 patients per 100 thousand inhabitants, will be required to be tested or quarantined upon their return home to Germany. The number of patients is being monitored, primarily by individual regions. It is also clear that more vulnerable groups of guests, such as seniors, are being very cautious indeed.

For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our dedicated section.

With the recent alarming developments in regard to the new coronavirus in Zadar, Croatia needs to ask the question of just what summer in Croatia will look like this year with the re-emergence of the virus among the population. While small pockets of infection are expected, just what will we do if things begin to go south yet again?

As Ana Blaskovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of June, 2020, the re-introduction of the original very rigorous measures would lead to an excessive economic blow to all companies and workers, warned the head of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

Summer in Croatia is under threat, just as were beginning to feel a little bit more optimistic that the new coronavirus might have seasonal tendencies, but it seems that we can't afford to relax too much yet.

The ''period of the opening up of the economy'' or whatever euphemism was used instead of tempting fate and the second wave of the pandemic, the fact of the matter is that the number of people infected with the new coronavirus is rising again after a few weeks of relative ''peace''.

So far, Zagreb and its surroundings are in the lead, just as they were at the very beginning, but eight Croatian counties recorded new infections on Monday. The debacle that the tennis tournament in Zadar turned into showed that Croatia, as ''coronavirus free'' country, is nothing more than a fake utopian image that was drawn up quickly before the elections for tourist purposes.

Croatia is facing parliamentary elections, but also the choice of whether the state will enter into a new lockdown or, more realistically, attempt to merely coexist with the new coronavirus.

Some generally do not believe in the new sharp closure of the economy once again, at least not within the existing epidemiological picture. Another lockdown is not realistic, Zeljko Lovrincevic from the Institute of Economics believes.

"Croatia must prepare for a ''mini corona party'' this summer with all of the consequences that follow from that, or social and economic chaos awaits it in the autumn," says Lovrincevic. He adds that this is a reality that stems from the structure of the economy, which primarily lives from services, and not production.

"The National Civil Protection Headquarters tacitly understood this, but now it has a problem of perception and in explaining it to people because until yesterday, the image of Croatia as a country without disease and low mortality was being built, unlike the situation in the region, and indeed in the rest of the world," he says.

He believes that after an instinctive reaction of closing Croatia's borders in the first wave, which dealt a blow to the economy and proved to be a totally unsustainable solution in the long-run, it is now necessary to try to coexist with coronavirus, but the success of that all depends on collective discipline.

How much room there is for progress is clearly illustrated by the speed with which, in a couple of weeks without newly infected people, maintaining a distance, wearing masks and using disinfectants were simply forgotten by many people (but also by politicians and even, sadly, by some epidemiologists).

Luka Burilovic: We believe that it is possible to create a model that will respect both health protection measures and the needs of the functioning of the economy.

"In the event of a second wave, we shouldn't sharply abolish all regular functions and ways of doing business again. The measures need to be more measured in terms of allowing as much economic activity of all our companies as possible. The reintroduction of the original rigorous measures would lead to an excessive economic blow to all companies and workers. We believe that it's possible to create a model that will respect both health protection measures and the needs of the functioning and openness of the economy,'' believes the President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Luka Burilovic.

In addition to adhering to the rules, the transition to the "new normal" will depend on political calculations.

HDZ Vice President Ivan Anusic told Novi list that "there will be no imprisonment or quarantine", but that an election on July the 5th is indeed possible. The question of testing is also one that causes issues. How can such a small country that has to open its borders and attract tourists be carrying out so few tests for coronavirus? "Test, test, test" - said the World Health Organisation at the beginning of the pandemic. One has to ask what happened to that mantra here.

Croatian epidemiologists are not changing the view that there is no need for more testing despite the millions of foreigners being lured to save the Croatian tourist season. Croatia performs only 17,000 tests per million inhabitants, incomparably less than European leaders such as Luxembourg (211 thousand) or Denmark (151 thousand), and even when compares to neighbouring countries such as Slovenia (44 thousand), Serbia (37 thousand) and even Bosnia and Herzegovina (25 thousand).

For more on coronavirus, follow our dedicated section.

22. lipnja 2020. - Gotovo je nemoguće potpuno uravnotežiti potrebe turizma i korone. Jedan pogled na pristupe Hrvatske i Crne Gore (koja nije članica EU).

Već mjesecima pišem o koroni, toliko da su mi se stvari već počele miješati i stapati. 

Iscrpljivalo me dok sam tjednima pisao dnevne izvještaje i javljao o brojevima novooboljelih i novopreminulih, pa mogu priznati da dosta dugo nisam bio u stanju vidjeti širu sliku, što dovodi do toga da mene još uvijek iznenade neke stvari koje su svima drugima dobro poznate. Danas sam sudjelovao u dva razgovora koji to jasno potvrđuju. 

U prvom razgovoru s mojim nećakom u Velikoj Britaniji pitao sam ga kako izgleda njegova svakodnevica ovih dana.Rekao mi je da će se pubovi konačno otvoriti za koji tjedan, da će se 4. 7. moći otići ošišati i da se trenutačno smiju družiti samo s još jednom obitelji u svakom trenutku. 

Ali, može direktnim letom doći u Hrvatsku (ako ne otkažu letove) ako je unaprijed platio smještaj, popiti nekoliko piva, družiti se sa svima u baru i otići na šišanje prije povratka kući. Sve ono što u Velikoj Britaniji za sada još ne smije. 

Cijena koju bi platio za takav odmor bila bi 14 dana samoizolacije nakon povratka kući. 

Svjedočili smo tome da je postojalo mnogo (namjerno stvorene) zbunjenosti oko toga smiju li Britanci i drugi doći u Hrvatsku na odmor. Kako je Hrvatska u EU, ne smije donositi jednostrane odluke, pa su turistički šefovi smislili vrlo balkansko rješenje - plaćeni smještaj u hotelu ili u nekom privatnom smještaju odlučili su klasificirati kao 'ekonomsku aktivnost', pa su tako svakome tko bi na hrvatskoj granici pokazao da ima uplaćen smještaj u Hrvatskoj dozvolili da uđe u zemlju. 

Nije bilo potrebno da se testiraju, nije bilo potrebno da idu u karantenu. Hrvatska diše turizam, rekao je ministar Cappelli - svakome tko može doći do granice bit će dozvoljeno da uđe.

I mnogima je i bilo. 

Ne bih trebao procjenjivati argumente zdravlja vs. ekonomije, ja sam izvještavam o činjenicama kako ih ja vidim. A vidio sam obje strane granice proteklih tjedana, čak i iz blizine i iza kulisa, i posve mi je jasno da je politika nadvladala sve ostale argumente. Hrvatska izlazi na izbore 5. srpnja, te se domaćoj publici stalno serviraju poruke o tome kako je Hrvatska jedna od rijetkih zemalja u Europi u kojoj će biti blagodati turizma, kao i izvještaji o prepunim nacionalnim parkovima. Izvan naših granica, govorilo nam se, postoji informacijski kaos. Ministarstvo turizma odbilo je priključiti se našoj Viber zajednici Total Croatia Travel INFO, koja je jedino mjesto gdje se pitanja postavljaju i dobivaju odgovore u stvarnom vremenu Ovdje se možete priključiti, ali ćete morati preuzeti aplikaciju Viber

Moj prijedlog da možda ne bi bilo loše da Ministarstvo turizma, Hrvatska turistička zajednica i policija pokrenu svoju vlastitu Viber zajednicu dočekan je s osmijehom i klimanjem glavom. Uobičajena nezainteresiranost. 

Drugi važan razgovor bio je s jednim od autora koji pišu za Total Montenegro News, a koji živi u Tivtu. Ona isto piše o koronavirusu od ožujka, kada je Crna Gora bila posljednja zemlja u Europi bez virusa. A onda, nakon infekcija, i ponovo prva bez virusa. 

Crna Gora je jednako očajna da pokrene svoju turističku sezonu, pa su morali poduzeti neke teške odluke. Njena glavna tržišta su Srbija, Rusija i Velika Britanija, sve tri s groznom situacijom s koronom. Kad bi se njihove državljane slobodno pustilo da ulaze, sigurno bi došlo do porasta slučajeva, a kad bi odlučili da ih se ne pusti to bi bilo porazno za turizam. Zaista težak izbor. 

Crna gora je izmislila sustav u tri boje, koje su vezane za epidemiološku situaciju u pojedinim zemljama. Većina zemalja dobila je zelenu boju - slobodan ulaz, a samo neke su dobile žutu - što znači da je potreban nedavno obavljen negativni test na koronu. 

I za kraj postoje one zemlje koje su dobile crvenu boju, a koje uključuju tri najveća crnogorska tržišta, Srbiju, Rusiju i Veliku Britaniju. Da, ljudi iz "crvenih" zemalja mogu doći, ali će im se propisati 14 dana obavezne karantene u nekoj instituciji. Pa turisti neće doći. 

Ogroman gubitak za ekonomiju, ali čini se da je to odluka koja na prvo mjesto stavlja zdravlje. Uz toliko ljudi koji ovise o turizmu i uz to što crnogorci također izlaze na izbore 30. kolovoza, bit će zanimljivo vidjeti kako će se to razviti. Porast slučajeva u BiH, koji je djelomično izazvan Srbima koji su prolazili kroz BiH uzrokovao je to da je ta zemlja dobila žutu oznaku, što znači da će biti još manje turizma. 

Crna Gora nije u EU, naravno, ali to joj naravno daje slobodu da samostalno povlači poteze. 

Ali, Grčka je članica, pa je čak i ona ograničila pristup građanima VB, naprimjer.

Nakon dugog perioda u kojem u Hrvatskoj ili nije bilo slučajeva ili je bio po jedan slučaj dnevno, broj slučajeva je porastao na 18 ili 19 dnevno. I dalje su to niski brojevi u usporedbi s globalnom situacijom, ali dovoljni da se započne razgovor o strožim mjerama, drugom valu i slično. 

Parlamentarni izbori u Hrvatskoj su za 14 dana. Zanima me što će biti najvažniji čimbenik u razmišljanju onih koji donose odluke: zdravlje, turizam, ekonomija... ili ponovni izbor na vlast.

June 22, 2020 - As more infections emerge from the Adria Tour tennis tournament, some important questions from a news headline six days ago. 

Premier League football returned to England a few days ago, much to the relief of the billions of fans all over the world. 

The new normal meant empty stadia, of course, which must be a huge financial strain on the big clubs.But safety first, and all that. 

Meanwhile, in Croatia, which has done an outstanding job in containing coronavirus thus far, with just 2,317 cases in total, 107 deaths and 68 active cases, things are a little more relaxed. 

Global tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was in Zadar with the Adria Tour, a fantastic event in normal times, and great PR for Zadar. Such a good PR event that Prime Minister Plenkovic dropped in - with two weeks to a general election, one doesn't get better photo ops than this. 

(Photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)

Unlike the Premier League, there were plenty of fans. 

All was fine. 

Until...

Adria Tour Final in Zadar Canceled After Dimitrov Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Then...

Borna Coric Among Players Positive for Coronavirus at Adria Tour in Zadar

(Borna Coric, who has since tested positive for COVID-19, surrounded by fans at Adria Tour - photo credit Marko Stefanek, Total Waterpolo)

And now for something VERY strange. A report from UBI Tennis, dated June 16, 2020 - SIX days ago:

ATPAdria Tour: Djokovic And The Other Players May Have Been In Contact With COVID-19

A Serbian basketball player that met Novak Djokovic last week in Belgrade tested positive for COVID-19. Thiem, Zverev and Dimitrov could have been exposed to the virus as well. The next Adria Tour event in Zadar is going ahead as planned

A great PR opportunity for sure. What is more important to the Croatian authorities at the moment - health, tourism, the economy... or re-election?

It is 13 days until the Croatian general election. 

June 22, 2020 - Croatia recently introduced the entercroatia.mup.hr online form for foreign visitors to the country. What exactly is it, and who needs to fill it out?

Just over a month ago, we started a Viber community called Total Croatia Travel INFO in an attempt to help tourists get accurate travel information for their holiday to Croatia. It has been one of the most informative and educational things that I have done in the last year, and you can join the group here (you will need to download the Viber app). 

For in addition to us giving information, the community also shared their experiences and questions. Real-life experiences of crossing borders (or not), boarding planes (or not) has allowed us to build perhaps the most accurate picture of travel to Croatia on the Internet right now. Many thanks to all who have - and continue to - contributed. 

The Viber community is also a great source of information about the messages which are not getting across, as we see the same questions again and again. One of the areas of confusion surrounds the entercroatia.mup.hr form, which is now in 11 languages. What exactly is it for, do we need to fill it, and what about if we are transiting Croatia?

The simple answer is that if you are a foreign tourist to Croatia, you SHOULD fill in the form before your arrival, even though it is not obligatory. If you need accommodation in Croatia, you can find it here. It will facilitate your travel to Croatia at airports and any borders, as well as saving lots of time at the actual Croatian border. It is one of the most efficient systems I have ever seen after the Croatian police allowed me full access behind the scenes, and I then fully understood the system and how it is working perfectly.  I want to quickly explain why the system was introduced, what it does and why you should fill in the form. 

When I first visited the main Bregana border between Croatia and Slovenia on May 17, 2020, there was much confusion, and the border crossing was painfully slow - taking 5-8 minutes in most cases (transit was much quicker). The reason for this was that the border police had to manually enter details of the visitor's contact details, as well as all the information of where they were staying and for how long. This was necessary in the event of a corona outbreak so that the police would be able to contact them locally.  It was a time-consuming process, and one can only imagine what the peak season queues would look like. 

An emergency software fix was procured, and I was curious to see how it worked. I will refer to it more below, but this information is important for EVERY foreign visitor to Croatia at the moment, whether you are coming by land, sea or air. 

1. If you fill the form in with your details (choose from 11 languages), you will receive an email from the police confirming receipt. Print this off, as well as your confirmed reservation, and show at any borders you encounter on the way, and you will be allowed to enter. 

2. The procedure to proceed through the border if you have already registered is less than one minute, so 5-8 times quicker than three weeks ago. Simply hand over your passport, which will be scanned. All relevant details will be sent to Interpol, Schengen, and the Croatian ministries of health, tourism and the interior. This includes all the accommodation details and your contact numbers entering into the system. It is an outstandingly efficient system and is reducing the waiting time at the border considerably. 

3. Even if you are from the 10 countries which now have open borders with Croatia, the official advice is to fill in this form, because it will reduce the waiting time at the border. 

A fabulous system, put together in record time, and severely reducing the waiting times at the border just in time for peak season. Congratulations to the Croatian police and all involved in the project. 

Please note (from the entercroatia.mup.hr page):

*After entering your contact information (telephone number and e-mail address), you will receive an announcement certificate which we kindly ask that you display on the windshield of your vehicle in order to facilitate the border crossing. Furthermore, you will receive all of the necessary information regarding your safe stay in the RC.

*The announcement certificate does not constitute an entry permit and is not equivalent to a document required for crossing the border (passport/identity card).

There seems to be some confusion in the community regarding 'The announcement is valid from' and 'The announcement is valid until 'entries. Please enter the dates you expect to arrive and depart.

UPDATE (July 13): We've received several questions on whether there are any issues with extending your stay in Croatia, beyond what you reported on your entercroatia.mup.hr form, if you need to do anything about the extension, re-submit your form or anything. We can confirm that, once you're in Croatia, you don't need to worry about your entercroatia form anymore; there are systems in place where the hosts need to report where you're staying, because of the tourist tax via the eVisitor system, so just enjoy yourself once you manage to enter Croatia (pun intended). 

The question Self-isolation/quarantine measure in the country of residence? means have you self-isolated due to being in contact with someone with the virus.

If you are in transit through Croatia, you do NOT need to fill in the form, as it is designed to keep track of where people are staying in the event of a corona outbreak. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).

Croatian citizens do NOT need to fill in the form. (Confirmed to TCN by MUP on June 22).

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.